Curtain Call: Theater cure for cabin fever

It seems as though the only places people are stepping out to these days are grocery stores and gas stations. However, both of these places do little to cure cabin fever. This has been a brutally cold January, and hopefully the frigid weather will break soon. People do need to get out and about before they feel like prisoners in their homes. Theater is the perfect cure for cabin fever because it transports audiences to other places and other times. That’s why theater lovers are anxious for new play productions to start filling the 2018 calendar.Last week, I mentioned that the Westport Country Playhouse in Westport opened on Jan. 9 with Woody Sez: The Life and Music of Woody Guthrie. I also mentioned the Phoenix Stage Company in Oakville running its One Act Plays from Jan. 18 to 20. There are a few other theaters that open this January as well. So if you’re starting to feel that strange closed-in mood coming over you, head to one of these theaters for an immediate cure.Long Wharf Theater in New Haven opens on Jan. 17 with Office Hour. Here’s a play that will definitely strike a chord with teachers, especially English teachers. The play focuses on a student’s essays that are most provocative in a troublesome way. That the student attempts to hide himself in dark glasses and a baseball cap pulled low over his face, the teacher is faced with whether or not to get involved. Should she be helpful or fearful?The Community Theatre of Woodbury presents God of Carnage opening Jan. 19. Here’s a play that will have you feeling happy and sad at the same time. Focusing on two sets of parents who are going to resolve an argument between their 11-year-old sons, it doesn’t take long before the adults are acting worse than the children. This is a dark comedy, so expect the unexpected.Yale Repertory Theatre opens Field Guide on Jan. 26. The promotional material says, “Strap on your snowshoes and join Rude Mechs on a surreal hike through one of the greatest — and longest! — novels ever written: The Brothers Karamazov. A physical meditation on Dostoyevsky’s masterpiece, Field Guide enlists stand-up comedy, a dancing monk and some old-school magic to explore faith, meaning and morality.” Now that should get the gray cells charged.The Bushnell in Hartford opens on Jan. 30 with Something Rotten. Here’s a production that will warm you on a cold winter’s night with plenty of laughter. The show is set in 1595. Two brothers learn that in the future theater will consist of acting, dancing, and singing. The two ambitious brothers decided to write the world’s first musical. It’s a hoot.January is a cold month, but never fear, theater is coming very soon.Joanne Greco Rochman is a founder and former member of the Connecticut Critics Circle and is a member of The American Theatre Critics Association. She welcomes comments. Contact: [email protected].